Why Is This Ship Sinking?

You may have heard the story about the two Navajo Indians who were having a conversation across an Arizona valley by smoke signals. While they were speaking, the Atomic Energy Commission released an atomic bomb nearby, and when the gargantuan mushroom cloud rose on the horizon, one of the Indians sent up a smoke signal to the other saying, "Man, I wish I had said that."

Recently, I came across a quote that made me feel the same way. It was from William E. Simon, the famous successful businessman and philanthropist, who also served our country as its 63rd Secretary of the Treasury. Simon commented:

"How did we reach such a state – in this land where, for generations, mothers and fathers bravely risked their lives and came streaming to these shores to give their children freedom to worship God without fear or favor? How can there be such a cowardice and silence in the face of this outrageous trashing of America's treasured traditions?